The Obama Beer Conspiracy: Did The White House Lie About Obama Drinking Alcoholic Beer In Germany?

SteveHolt10 years ago

President Barack Obama’s overseas trip to the G7 summit in Germany is already brewing with controversy.

Obama and Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel shared a powerful, carefully choreographed sausage and beer photo-op earlier this week. The brews and dogs were supposed to be a sign of good faith between the two countries, but quickly soured when questions arose about what the American leader was actually drinking.

From the New York Times:

The president went out of his way to praise the scenery, the weather and the beer, joking in his public remarks in the small town that he was going to ask Ms. Merkel, who was hosting the Group of 7 conference of world leaders at a nearby castle and luxury resort, if the meetings could be held in the village instead, over beer.

“It was a very fine beer,” Mr. Obama told reporters on his way out of the town. “I wish I was staying.”

But it didn’t take long for rumors to begin flying that the beer had been nonalcoholic. The White House dismissed them.

“I’m not aware of what kind of beer the president was served, but I’m confident that he did not order a nonalcoholic beer,” Josh Earnest, the White House spokesman, told reporters. “I don’t know what he was eventually served, but I would be very, very surprised if he ordered a nonalcoholic beer, even after an overnight flight on a Sunday morning.”

But on Monday, the Krün municipality’s mayor, Thomas Schwarzenberger, put the issue to rest. He told the news service Deutsche Presse-Agentur that German and United States officials had asked that the guests be given only alcohol-free beer. So that’s what Mr. Obama and Ms. Merkel got.

It’s the hard-hitting news that could rile up the international political atmosphere. Was it real beer? It would be tough to defend an American president who traveled to Germany to drink a craft O’Douls. That isn’t in our constitution, dammit. It’s a good thing Obama isn’t running for reelection, otherwise he’d be totally screwed.

Obama is already facing a little heat for the below photograph, allegedly showing the President about to light up a cig with the Italian Prime Minister. A beer controversy is the last thing the commander-in-chief needs right now.

Americans don’t like being lied to, Mr. President. Now tell us, what EXACTLY were you drinking?.

[via New York Times]

Image via YouTube